Women’s Empowerment

MJP is committed to the empowerment and equal rights of women and girls. This commitment is demonstrated in all of our projects – from ensuring equal participation in sports, to employing female ranger teams who protect the forest. In our healthcare centres, 7 of the 16 MJP health care staff are women, and in our schools, 38 of the 85 teachers are women who are supported by the MJP Education program.

Women also take a lead in MJPs training and outreach work, strengthening their voice in the local community and countering societal views which can restrict women’s role and status.

MJP’s focus is on empowering women via income generation, jobs and education. We conduct vocational skills training for the most vulnerable girls, and provide additional support for the poorest female-headed households. In 2012, in partnership with the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, MJP established the Women’s Prosperity Center, to facilitate and provide a home for women-led training, meetings and empowerment activities.

Our Gender Coordinator works with women’s representatives from three communes, and a group of over 30 women from the surrounding villages, to promote greater awareness on women’s right, domestic violence and human trafficking. They have created the Women Advisory Committee and set-up a silk farm to create jobs and generate income.